The first hike we completed for the MN State Park Hiking Club was the hike that started our journey! While we were out hiking, my 6 year old started noticing the signs that said “Hiking Club” and started asking about it. He found it fascinating that you could complete all the hikes, record them, and get rewards. Read more on the MN State Park Hiking Club here. We were camping at Forestville/Mystery State Park, and decided to drive down to Lake Louise State Park since it was nearby and had a beach. Unfortunately, the beach wasn’t great, but we made the most of it and went on a hike instead!
HIKing club trail: Wildwood loop
trail description
Length: 1.3 miles
Terrain: The Hiking Club trail at Lake Louise State Park is a loop that starts and ends at the picnic area. The trail travels through the woods and goes along a river and Lake Louise. The trail was flat and mostly packed dirt. Very easy hike.
Features: bridge, water views, woods, wildflowers
Difficulty: Easy
Park Pros/cons
Pros: easy trail, pretty lake views, maps easy to follow, trails well marked, 14 mile paved bike trail at this park also
Cons: water at the beach had lots of algae, logs stuck in water, and strong current
Overall, this was a nice little hike, especially to break up our driving and stretch our legs. Very easy hike overall. This park was a 30 minute drive from Forestville/Mystery Cave where we were camping. I wouldn’t necessarily visit this park again, but it was great because it’s where our kids learned about the Hiking Club and we started our journey to complete them all! Happy hiking!